Chapter 27 - Volume 1 (1/2)

Side Story 3 — Part 7

Let’s begin.」

Those words were the signal, and the doors in the back opened. Arms linked together, Agedilus and Filmina quietly walked along the center path. And then, slipping through the space between the attendants, they walked to the altar where they faced each other and stopped.

「In the name of our Goddess. Take your oaths.」

Clementine’s voice was like a chirping bird, but still mysteriously majestic. Accepting her words, Agedilus opened his mouth, facing Filmina.

「I will think only of you.」

Taking a lock of Filmina’s hair in his hand, he pressed a kiss onto it.

「I will appreciate you. I will care for you. I will help you. I will support you. I will respect you. I will protect you. I will trust you.」

After each sentence, he kissed the back of Filmina’s hand, the palm of her hand, her fingertips, her cheeks, her eyelids, one by one. Just those repeated kisses were so breathtakingly beautiful, it was the very definition of a noble ceremony.

「I request you.」

And then, one last kiss on the forehead. As if waiting for Filmina’s response, Agedilus kneeled on one knee there. As if replying to that, Filmina smiled. A kind, gentle, happy smile. Gently bending down, this time it was Filmina who kissed Agedilus’s forehead.

「I accept all of you.」

At her words, Agedilus’s sunrise-colored eyes were filled with a delicate light, not just delight, but not relief either. He stood up again, putting his hands around Filmina’s waist.

「——I love you.」

After those last words from Agedilus, the two’s lips met.

Carefully watching that, Clementine made grains of light from her hand that rained over the couple.

「May there be much happiness in the couple’s future. May the blessings of our goddess be upon you.」

In the middle of the raining light particles, Agedilus and Filmina bowed to the statue of the goddess, before turning to the attendants and bowing again. Thanks to the sunlight from the window above, the light particles glittered and sparkled all the more brightly.

The scene was nothing but absolutely beautiful. Yulifalet felt there was something filling him up from the depths of his heart. Why couldn’t he help thinking, ‘Ah…’ Filled with a flood of emotions, Yulifalet clapped for the two leading roles today along with all the other attendants in a grand applause.

And then, that night. The celebrations were held at the Lancent Estate. Even though they were ‘celebrations’, they weren’t formal at all. Everyone flung off their stiff, formal uniforms, gathering together with comfortable clothes as they pleased.

It was a rather private occasion, with them eating their meal made by the women of the Adina family, and indulging themselves on the prized sake of the Adina family and Lancent family’s respective heads.

The Adina family’s head’s wife was usually in the kitchen, and Filmina and the wet nurse also made their own dishes. Each of their food was delicious, and it made Yulifalet remember the food from his hometown.

He drank countless glasses of sake as he was recommended to, and before he knew it he started feeling like he was floating around mid-air. By the time he realized, ‘Crap, I’m drunk,’ it was too late. No matter how much he was told he could stay at the Lancent Estate, he still felt guilty.

‘Guess I’ll go out and get some fresh night air.’ Thinking that, he left his seat. Everyone had drank sake, and were all immersed in conversation. Taking that as a good opportunity, he slipped outside without telling anyone.

It was a bright night. A night where the big blue moon brightly shone. The cold night wind pleasantly brushed against his skin, warm from the sake he’d drank. Even though it had only been some weeks since he’d defeated the demon king, it felt like it had been years ago.

Since he returned to the capital, all of his days were spent busily and full of commotion. But today felt like the time flowed by so slowly and restfully as never before. Why?

He took a deep breath, then exhaled. The clean air filled his lungs.

It was quiet. The Lancent Estate was right in the busy center of the capital. Even though it was so bustling and busy in the day, that liveliness unbelievably disappeared by night, so quiet. He wanted to stay out here and bask in the night air forever, but he couldn’t do that.

‘I should be heading back soon,’ he thought, facing the door and about to return. It was then that Yulifalet was surprised by someone standing there.

「Huh? Mrs Filmina?」

One of the lead roles of today, Filmina, stood with the door behind her. She was clad in a simple dress, different from the pure white one from the daytime. Her long hair that had been let down was now arranged in a chignon.

Her appearance gave a completely different impression from the daytime, but there was no change in the gentle atmosphere about her. Yulifalet didn’t feel wary around her.

He tilted his head to the side in confusion, asking Filmina a question.

「It’s your big day, why are you here……?」

「Because you aren’t there, Sir Yulifalet. Perhaps the cooking was not suitable for your taste?」

She anxiously looked towards him. Yulifalet shook his head, as if she’d said something outrageous.

「No, not at all! The cooking was really tasty. I just felt a bit tipsy, so I wanted to get some fresh air.」

「Is that so? I’m so relieved to hear that.」

At her light smile, Yulifalet felt his face go red for some reason. Even though he knew she was a kind of woman he’d never been around before, and that she was a newlywed married woman who his friend had married, his chest suddenly felt overcome with emotion. That must be the sad nature of men.

‘It’d be bad if the groom found out, huh,’ he thought, as if looking at the situation from an outsider’s perspective. He was about to say, 「Well then, let’s go back together.」 But before he could, Filmina opened her mouth.

「Thank you.」

「Huh?」

He blinked, as if to say ‘for what?’ Filmina erased her gentle smile. She looked straight at Yulifalet with a serious expression.

The phrase 「Thank you」. He had heard those words countless times since he returned to the royal capital. 「Thank you for defeating the demon king.」 「Thank you for saving the world.」 He’d heard those words so many times it bewildered him. But for some reason, Filmina’s 「Thank you」 felt different than other people’s 「Thank you.」

「『Thank you』, for what?」

「For believing in Edi without giving up.」

「Agedilus?」

Yulifalet was finding it increasingly more and more difficult to understand. Filmina continued.

「I heard it from Alhelm and the others. That everyone believed Agedilus was alive until the end…… And, especially you.」

「Oh, yeah, that? But you were the same too……」

「No. I wasn’t the same. I gave up hope.」

‘So…’ Filmina grasped her hands tightly as if blaming herself, and continued her words like she was confessing something.

「The reason Edi could come back home like this was because of you and the others.」

「—That’s not true!」

Filmina cracked a self-deprecating smile, so different from her gentle one. At the sight of it, Yulifalet couldn’t help but grab both her shoulders. Perhaps overwhelmed by the force, Filmina’s whole body shook in surprise, her eyes blinking. Looking into her eyes from close-up, Yulifalet smiled.

「I think the reason Edi came back alive has to be you.」

He knew just how much Agedilus had lovingly thought of Filmina during the journey. That day, when the moon was as bright as the moon today. Surely no one could make Agedilus make the expression he did then except Filmina. There was just one person who could call him 「Edi」.

The reason Yulifalet was able to believe Agedilus was alive, was all thanks to Filmina. He couldn’t help but think of Filmina as the last thread that was holding Agedilus to this world.

Filmina’s wet eyes blinked, and then she softly murmured.

「Is… Is that so?」

「It’s true, I guarantee you.」